1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the maintenance and prevention of mineral deposit accumulations on electrodes which are submerged in the chemical baths of electrolytic cells. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and process that uses ultrasonic cleaning to remove mineral deposits that can accumulate on the electrodes of pool chlorination cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
The maintenance of swimming pools, especially in regard to the chemistry of the pool's water, can be a complex, time-consuming and expensive routine. For fresh-water pools, this usually involves, especially during the warmer season, checking the pool's water almost daily to determine and maintain its pH level and chlorine content. Unless these factors are carefully controlled, the growth of bacteria and algae in the pool will be excessive with the result that the pool water may pose a health hazard. In addition, the surfaces of the pool may become discolored and unsightly if the water's chemistry is not controlled.
To maintain fresh-water pools, frequent addition of acid and chlorine, typically in the form of sodium hypochlorite, is required. These acid and chlorine addition steps can be expensive and time consuming for the average pool owner.
For pools that use water having a slight salt content (i.e., much less than seawater, and only about half the content found in human tears), or salt-water pools, the maintenance of the water's chemistry can be a much easier task due to the development of various automated systems, especially the pool chlorinator cell or the electrolytic chlorination system.
This system introduces into the pool's water circulation system an electrolysis or chlorinator cell that uses the water's salt (NaCl) to produce locally elevated concentrations near the cell's electrodes of chlorine (i.e., actually hypochloride which is generated via local pole chemistry) which acts to kill any algae or bacterial in the water that flows through the chlorinator cell. While such systems are generally easy to operate, they can occasionally suffer from maintenance problems associated with mineral deposit accumulations on the cell's electrodes.
Maintenance of such chlorinator cells usually involve the cell's periodic removal, disassemble and cleaning in an acid bath solution. Such cells must be regularly monitored and inspected for deposit accumulations on the electrodes. These maintenance problems can present a drawback to the greater use of such cells in the pool industry.
Prior attempts to resolve this chlorinator cell maintenance problem have provided only limited successes. For example, means for cleaning pool chlorination cells are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,391,167 and 4,088,550 and involve polarity changes to drive the cell's electrodes. However, this approach does not completely eliminate the deposition problem, and it mandates coating on all cell electrodes. Additionally, failure of cells maintained in this manner has reportedly resulted from erosion of the cell coating.
Although ultrasonic cleaners have been used in a variety of cleaning applications (from cleaning jewelry and medical equipment to micro circuitry and spacecraft parts), they have yet to be effectively used to address the problems associated with the maintenance of submerged electrodes.
Despite the prior art, there still exists a continuing need for improvements in the design of processes and apparatus to maintain submerged electrodes, including those found in pool chlorination cells.
3. Objects and Advantages
There has been summarized above, rather broadly, the prior art that is related to the present invention in order that the context of the present invention may be better understood and appreciated. In this regard, it is instructive to also consider the objects and advantages of the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of cleaning the mineral accumulated deposits on submerged electrodes, especially those used in pool chlorinator cells.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for the in-situ, maintenance-free cleaning of pool chlorination cell electrodes; thus minimizing maintenance inspection and labor costs for pool chlorination systems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of preventing the mineral accumulation and deposits on submerged electrodes, especially those used in pool chlorinator cells.
It is yet another object of the present invention to minimize the service and cell cleaning operations associated with the use of pool chlorination systems, regardless of the size and power of such systems.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that cleans pool chlorination cell electrodes without the use of chemicals, such as acids, and without needing to disassemble the cell's housing.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide methodology for automatically maintaining and cleaning pool chlorinator cell electrodes, especially as it relates to preventing end removing the calcium carbonate that is commonly formed on chlorinator cell electrode surfaces.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent as the invention is better understood by reference to the accompanying summary, drawings and the detailed description that follows.